In the United States and abroad, many companies employ an open office design. In addition to optimizing office space, this design was intended to foster teamwork between employees. However, this design has led to the rise of a layout which is derisively known as a “cubicle farm.” Cubicle farms are often seen as a symbol for the monotony of corporate life and are often used in movies and television as a plot device for a main character wherein they must escape their mundane life, epitomized by their job at a corporate cubicle farm.
Perhaps more importantly to a company, cubicle farms actually lower productivity in the workplace and have a negative impact on employees, affecting everything from personal privacy to health. Studies have shown, for example, that conversations between employees in a cubicle farm can lead to a 5 to 10 percent decline in performance by employees not involved in the conversations. Similarly, global studies show that, on average, people sit an average of 7.7 hours per day, with some people sitting as much as 15 hours a day. As a result of all this sitting, scientists have coined the term “sitting disease” which can cause obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer, depression, and various other maladies. While many attempts have been made to remedy these problems, the modern office environment has remained relatively unchanged.
One such change to the modern office environment is the move from cubicles to “desking.” Desking is the concept of replacing cubicles and cubicle walls with freestanding desks, often with desk mounted screens of various materials which provide a limited “fence” around an individual's workspace. However, while desking may do away with the perception of a “cubicle farm,” it fails to address the present privacy and health concerns present in the modern office environment. Furthermore, desking does not prevent the so-called “prairie dog effect,” in which some employees are standing while others are sitting, further reducing privacy among employees.
To remedy the health problems with excessive sitting, one obvious solution has been to increase standing during the work day. Studies have shown that even just taking breaks during periods of prolonged sitting may lower the health risks of sitting. A number of patents have been pursued which attempt to utilize the health benefit of intermittent standing.
U.S. Pat. No. 9,003,979 shows one example of a stand-alone standing desk, and is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. The '979 patent provides a desk which may be utilized in the standing position in an effort to reduce some of the common side effects with prolonged sitting. However, this particular desk only allows for working in a standing position, which may not be practical for all employees, as it could lead to joint compression, muscle fatigue, and various other health problems. Additionally, the use of a standing desk in a typical open office environment may not be optimal as it would require the purchase of new desks for employees and lead to the above-mentioned “prairie dog effect.” Furthermore, the above standing desk fails to create a workstation which is ergonomically appropriate for more than a single individual. Standing for a 5th percentile female user differs completely from standing for a 95th percentile male. Accordingly, the above standing desk fails to provide an ergonomic solution for the modern office environment.
Another attempt to address the stand-sit balance are adjustable support structures which do not require the purchase of an entirely new desk for an employee, as exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 6,076,785, hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. The '785 patent provides an adjustable support structure which may be mounted on an existing desk and allows employees to sit and stand at their discretion. However, these desks still do not address the “prairie dog effect” problem, and further, these support arm structures are often only able to carry a certain amount of weight. Thus, if an employee is utilizing dual monitors or various other features, the arm may not be able to remain in the standing position. Furthermore, typical non-adjustable desks such as the above stand at approximately 28″-29″ which is the seated height for a male in the 95th percentile. Accordingly, anyone smaller than a male in the 95th percentile will find it impossible to achieve a proper seated position according to ANSI/HFES100-2007.
Similarly, there have been many attempts to remedy the privacy concerns of the open office design. U.S. Pat. No. 7,377,078 is representative of this effort, and is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. The '078 patent discloses an integrated and adjustable privacy enclosure for workspace environments. However, the invention disclosed does not differ greatly in terms of privacy considerations from the typical cubicle walls commonly employed. Additionally, utilizing the privacy wall structures in conjunction with standing or sit-stand desks completely negates the added privacy as employees would be able to see over the privacy barriers.
Other attempts to remedy privacy concerns involve the use of partial visual shields, as exemplified in U.S. Pat. No. 8,845,016. The '016 patent relates to mountable visual and/or acoustic privacy features which at least dampen the audio and visual pollution a user receives. However, the device presented in the '016 uses shades or panels that can only be used to block out audio/visual from the sides or audio/visual from the front. However, when used on the sides, a user is completely exposed from the front and back. Similarly, when used in front of the user, they are susceptible to noise and visual pollution from both sides and the back.
In an attempt to provide complete privacy, completely self-contained modules have been suggested, a representative example of which is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,248,014, which is hereby incorporated by reference in entirety. The '014 patent describes a self-contained activity module, which includes a work desk and chair enclosed in a housing, but open on both sides. However, while this design incorporates a number of features to improve the comfort of the user, it is still susceptible to audio and visual pollution from the sides. Perhaps more importantly, this design is not practical in an open office environment. The bulky nature of the design would make for an inefficient use of office space, and the cost per employee would be high.
Thus, there is a need for a desk which provides privacy to the user in both a sitting and standing position as well as to the other employees in the office, and which is designed to be used in an open office environment without compromising the efficient use of office space. Other problems in the field which need addressing include cabling concerns; lack of personalized lighting, air flow, and temperature controls; no individual customization; environmental considerations including improving employee attitude, creating fun and exciting work environments, and reducing stress.